Tim Merlier is the new Men Elite European Road Champion 🇪🇺 The Belgian went the long way round in a thrilling sprint finale to secure his first European title 🔥
"Those tactics... I mean, they must have been smoking weed in the team car!" - Geraint Thomas stunned by Dutch approach to 2024 European Championship road race
CyclingSaturday, 21 September 2024 at 14:58
Last weekend in Limburg, the men's 2024 European Championship road race was held. Pre-race, the big favourites were the Belgian duo Tim Merlier and Jasper Philipsen and in the end, it was the former who took the title in a frantic bunch sprint.
On the latest episode of their Watts Occurring podcast, INEOS Grenadiers duo Luke Rowe and Geraint Thomas reflected on the race, with a few curious tactics sticking out to the Welsh pair. "There were two things from this race," Thomas begins, targeting the Dutch approach first. "I didn't see it all, but I heard that Mathieu van der Poel just wanted to create chaos and attack, Danny van Poppel, who is one of the best leadout men in the world, ends up in the break and they've got Olav Kooij who can win. Those tactics... I mean, they must have been smoking weed in the team car! Unbelievable tactics."
That wasn't all that caught the eye of the former Tour de France winner and Giro d'Italia runner-up however. "Belgium sprinted with two guys. Did Merlier get a leadout?" Thomas questions. "Yeah, he had a leadout of Bert van Lerberghe, who is with him at Quick-Step. Then Philipsen had a leadout from some Alpecin dude. Two trains," comes the answer from Rowe. "That's nuts."
Whilst Thomas had been left confused by the tactics of the Dutch and the Belgians, Rowe meanwhile, had a bone to pick with the Italian contingent in Limburg. "They took control, Affini was doing these big dog pulls and it was incredible. But then, they tried to lead it out. They had a massive numerical advantage and they were riding on huge roads on the way in. Just come late. Come late with speed," the long time INEOS road captain explains. "I mean they almost pulled it off. Consonni got a little boxed in, he was last leadout man. But I mean, if you're a director... It's obvious. Although they didn't have connection with the director, it's worth adding that. No race radios in the Euros."
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